Ironing board



June 4, 9 J. w. RlCHAR DSON I RONI NG BOARD Filed Aug; 26, 1952 Z'Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR .4 Tommy:

Patented June 4, 1935 I I i t v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IBONING BOARD Jesse W. Richardson, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Rich Pump & Ladder Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 26, 1932, Serial No. 630,561 7 Claims. (01. 68-10) This invention relates to improvements in an U-shaped member downwardly and forwardly ironing board of the collapsible type. about the pivots H, the rear leg braces I and I2 An object of the invention is to provide a novel will move forwardly and carry with them the construction of means whereby the supporting rear legs 8 to which said braces are pivotally structure for the ironing board is rendered ex connected. he legs .a braces thereby are 5 ceedingly compact when the device is collapsed, moved to the collapsed condition indicated in v and wherein the legs of the device are automati- Fig. 2, and the legs, braces, and U-shaped memcally spread apart, by the use of simple means, ber M are caused to lie closely against the under when the device is set up for use. surface of the table portion. Attention is di- 10 A further object is to simplify structures of rected to the fact that the U-shaped member I4 1 the character above referred to, and to reduce pr f rably has a snap m v m n aus d y its the cost of manufacture by means of a saving in passing from dead center while being moved to labor and material. 1 the operative position of Fig. 1. Said snap move-- The foregoing and other objects are attained by ment is effected by means of the stabilizing rods the means described herein and disclosed in the 3 d which a e P v y mounted upon the 15 accompanying drawings, in which: front leg 25 of the device, at a point 26 which Fig, 1 is a perspective view of the improved may conveniently be located near the free end of ironing board. the front or third leg. Said third leg 25 has a Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the device in a colpivotal mounting 21 upon a bracket 28 which is 1 2o lapsed condition. screwed, riveted, or otherwise secured to the un- Fig; 3 is a perspective view of one of a pair der surface of the table. The pivoted end of f of leg spreaders forming a part of the invention. leg 5 p eferably is cut with a taper, as at 29, As is most clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, the deso that it may have a secure and substantial vice of the invention comprises a table or slab abutment 1111011 the table- It is tO- n d ur l which has mounted adjacent to its rear end 5 ther that the p vot 21 s r v d s little 25 a pair of bracket members 6 which extend subdistance from the upp o the 80 that stantially perpendicularly from the under surdownward and rearward movement of the end 26 face of the table. Each bracket has pivotally may be effectively arrested by the lever action mounted thereon as at 1, a table supporting leg 8 between the points 21 and 29. The stabilizing 30 which, for convenience in description, may bererods have their rearmost ends provided with a 30 ferred to as the pair of rear legs. These legs are suitable knob or t e like, which'flbuts a p I adapted to be moved about the pivots 1 for assum- 3 n the e on 1' t ea legs. d t by ing either the extended position shown in Fig. 1, limits forward and upward movement of the front or the collapsed position indicated in Fig. 2. At leg.

points such as 9 intermediate the opposite ends Attention is directed [10W 150 a form of means 35 of the supporting legs, are pivoted the rear leg whereby the rear legs 8 are spread apart autobraces I0 and 12, each of which extends forwardly matically as they are moved to the extended or y from the pivotal points 9. It will be noted that op ra iv p s ti s wn in F a aid means said braces converge toward the front end l3 comp o P C os d l p ad mem- 40 of the table or slab member 4. bers 32 and 33 which are attached in a peculiar 40,

In the region of the forward end of the table manner, to the le 8 d t0 the rear leg b s is mounted a U-shaped member H, the legs l5 Ill and I2. The upper ends of the leg Spreaders and I6 of which have outwardly turned ends 11 are pivoted to the legs at points and 35, which adapted for reception in spaced brackets l8 which points may be at below the Pivotal mountings are screwed or otherwise fixedly secured to the 1. Each leg spreader member has the lower end 45 under face of the table. The brackets lflprovide formed in accordance with the disclosure of Fig. pivotal mountings whereby the U-shaped member 3. The lower end of each leg sp a P may be moved, by means of a handle IS, in a lonably is turned rearwardlyf'as at 36, at substangitudinal plane which is perpendicular to the tially right angles to the plane thereof, and in plane of the table. At the locations 20 and 2|, the region of the turn or bend each has formed 50 the intermediate portion 22 of the U-shaped therein an elongated slot 31 which is included member is mounted pivotally upon the rear leg in the vbend. Each of the slots is adapted for braces I 0 and i2, respectively, near the forward reception of a stabilizing rod, the heads 30 of ends thereof. Thus, it will be observed that which are adapted to abut the concave areas when the handle 19 is grasped for moving the 38 of the ends 3|.

A perforated lug :0, extends from each leg spreader member in substantial perpendicularity thereto, and provides a means whereby the leg spreaders may be pivotally mounted upon the inner facu of the rear leg braces, as indicated at 4| and 4|. It will be' observed that the pivot 40 is spacedfrom. the adjacent pivot 9; Said pivot 4| may be referred to as a shiftable pivotal mounting for the lower end of the leg spreader, because the eifect of moving the brace I! upwardly about its pivot I, is to move upwardly also the pivotal mounting N, to a position closer to the pivot and likewise, the shiftable pivot ll is moved upwardly closer to the pivot 34 when the brace I0 is moved upwardly about its pivot 0. Since the pivots II and I! are fixed relative to the legs of the device, the spreader members therefore are subjected to a longitudinal compressive strain; and inasmuch as the spreader members are still enough to resist bending, the legs I must move outwardly due to the compressive strain imposed upon the spreader members by the upward movement of the shiftable pivots and Ii.

From the foregoing, it should readily be understood that by grasping the handle it (Fig. l) and moving it forwardly through an arc toward the table end It, the shiftable pivotal connections II and 4| will move in a direction away from the pivots I4 and 3!, whereby topull the legs I toward one another, until finally they assume thesubstantially parallel relationship indicated in Fig. 2; and conversely, when the handle member I! is moved from the position of Fig. 2 rearwardly through an are determined by the length of the arms II and II, the distance decreases between the uppermost leg spreader pivots and the shiftable pivots ll and II, thereby setting up in-the leg spreaders the longitudinally compressive force which is translated into outward movement of the legs as explained above.

The length of the stabilizingrods II and 24 is such thatthe knobs ll thereof, upon rearward projection of the legs 8 by the action of handle is, will contact the abutments fl shortly before the members II and I4 attain a dead-center alignment, so that the handle I! assumes its final position, (as shown in Fig. l), with a snap action. Thus the various parts of the structure are maintain under a limited strain when the device is in use, so as to insure a degree of rigidity precluding wobbling of the structure.

when the device is collapsed, all parts of the supporting structure are disposed within the limits of the side edges of the table, thereby facilitating storage and carrying of the device from place to place. The various parts lie so fiat upon the table, when the device is collapsed, that it can be stored in acontainer approximately three inches in depth, and this advantage is one of I considerable merit. 4

Whatisclaimedis: 1. In a folding ironing table, a board,-a pair of'legs mounted on said board fox-swinging to-' gether and apart and toward and from the board, a pair of braces pivotally mounted at one of their ends intermediate the ends of said legs, a pair of links pivotally mounted intermediate the ends of said braces and on the bottom of said board points of the, first braces with the legs and with said links.

2. In a device of the class described the combination of a table, a pair of legs mounted on the under face of said board for swinging toward and from said board to collapsed and extended positions, a third leg mounted on the under face of said board for swinging toward and from said board to collapsed and extended positions, the pair of legs and the third leg extending toward the same end of the table when in collapsed positions, a pair of braces one each having an end pivoted to one each of said pair of legs, and each having a top face opposed to the under face of the table, a mounting including a cross piece, the mounting having ends pivotally mounted on the under face of the table and having'the opposite ends of the cross piece thereof pivotally attached to the braces close to the top faces thereof whereby to provide a space between the braces and below said cross piece, means for bracing and connecting'the legs, the said third leg having its connection with the board disposed intermediate said cross piece and the mountings oi the pair of legs on the board whereby in the collapsed positions of the legs, the said third leg is received in the above mentioned space and all of the legs are disposed in substantial parallelism with and immediately adjacent the under'face cf the board.

3. In a device of the-class described the combination of a table, a pair of legs mounted on-the under face of said board for swinging toward and from said board to collapsed and extended positions, a third leg mounted on the under face of said board for swinging toward and from said board to collapsed'bnd extended positions, the pair of legs and the third leg extending toward ,the same end of the table when in collapsed positions, a pair of 'brac'eso'ne each'having. an end pivoted to one each of said pair of legs, and each having a top face opposed to the under face of the table, a mounting including a cross piece, the mounting having ends pivotally mounted on the under face of the table and having the opposite to the braces close to the top faces thereof wherel ends of the cross piece thereof pivotally attached I by to provide a space between the braces and below said cross piece, the said third leg having its connection with the board disposed intermediate said cross piece and the mountings of the pair of legs on the board whereby in the collapsed positions of the legs, the said third leg is received in the above mentioned space and all of the legs are disposed in substantial parallelism with and immediately adjacent the under face of the board, cross braces for the pair of legs having mountings for moving the free ends of said pair of legs laterally and outwardly as the said legs are moved from collapsed to extended positions, a connecting rod limiting the extent to which the free end'of the third leg may be spaced from .the free ends of said pair of legs, said rod, legs, braces, mounting for the braces,

and cross braces, when moved to the positions they assume incident to full extension of the legs providing a straining, buckling or snap efiect whereby the endsof the braces adjacent the said mounting for the braces are urged against the under face of the board. 7

4. A device of the class described comprising a table, a pair of legs pivoted to the rear end of said-table for pivotal movement toward and from the table, a toggle device comprising a pair of braces pivotally connected to said legs and a U-shape member having its arms pivotally connected to the table and having the base thereof ,extending between and connecting the forward ends of the braces, a third leg pivoted to the table intermediate the connections of said pair of legs and the U-shape member to the table, said third leg being movable toward and from the table about its said pivoted connection to the tableand the free end of said third leg extending in the direction of the pair of legs when moved toward the table, cross braces for the pair of legs and having their upper and lower ends mounted, respectively, on the legs and braces, a connection for' limiting the relative movement of the third leg and the pair of legs as they are moved from the table and incident to which movement the pivoted end of the third leg is broughtinto contact with the under face of the table and a condition of strain or tension is created, said legs and U-shape member. being pivotally connected to the table at such points and the braces being of such length and being attached to the pair of legs at such points that when the legs are turned down from the table, the toggle device will snap over the dead center line between the mountings of the braces on the legs and of the U-shape member on the table and the forward ends of the braces will be urged against the under face of the table.

5. In a folding ironing table, a board, a rear leg structure comprising a pair of legs each having an end mounted on said board at the rear end thereof, for swinging of the free ends of the legs together and apart and toward and from the board, a pair of braces one brace having an end mounted pivotally on one leg intermediate the ends of the leg and the other brace having an end mounted pivotally on the other leg the braces being so connected near their other ends that they will move together, means on the under face of the board for retaining the braces in an extended position wherein the legs are projected to substantially their fullest extent from one another and from the board, a third leg pivoted at and away from theboard, a pair of cross braces pivotally mounted at one of their ends upon said legs of the rear leg structure and at-their other ends upon said first braces at points intermediate the connected ends of the first mentioned braces and the pivotal mountings of the braces on the legs, and means for connecting the free end of the third leg with the rear leg structure for limiting the movement of the pair of legs beyond a substantially vertical position and whereby the said first pair of braces is rigidly positioned between the rear legs and the brace retaining means on the under face of the board.

6. In a collapsible structure the combination of a table, a pair of supporting legs movable to extended and collapsed positions and having a pivotal mounting upon the table, apair oi crossed leg spreader members one of which has an end thereof pivoted upon one supporting leg, and the other of which has a corresponding end thereof pivoted upon the other supporting leg, a pair of braces each of which has an end pivoted upon a leg, a shiftable pivot on each brace near said pivoted end, to which pivots are attached the opposite corresponding ends of the crossed leg spreader members, and means for holding the braces in rigid relationship with the table upon completion of the movement of the legs to the extended position.

7. In a collapsible structure the combination of a table, a pair of supporting legs movable to extended and collapsed positions and having a pivotal mounting upon the table, a pair of crossed leg spreader members one of which has an end thereof pivoted upon one supporting leg, and the other of which has a corresponding end thereof pivoted upon the other supporting leg, 8. pair of braces each of which has an end pivoted upon a leg, 2. shiftable pivot on each brace near said pivoted end, to which pivots are attached the opposite corresponding ends of the crossed leg spreader members, and means for guiding the braces as the supporting legs are moved from the collapsed position to the extended position, including a toggle for maintaining the shiftable pivots in the shifted positions.

JESSE W. RICHARDSON. 

